Hi upgraded to the htc 8x a couple of weeks ago, noticed today that it I touch the phone on the black strips next to the screen, or the side of the phone adove the volume buttons I get a weird colour distortion (like when you poke a old non touchscreen lcd monitor) is this normal for the phone or should I take it back to the store?
Thank you.

Mine does this, as does every 8x I've seen. The same issue was in the HTC One X. You can take it back but you will probably never find one that doesn't. The reason you see the LCD ripple is because the glass and LCD are one layer now, instead of separate layers of glass. Its fairly common in newer LCD panels. Even the new iPod touches do this.

I wouldn't worry about it, as you never normally press on those spots with enough pressure to cause this. I've tested this in every 8x I can find and they all do it.

cheers for answers. Checked ipod and its does it too. Don't fond it a problem just wanted to know if was going to play up on in the future!
Kept meaning to ho into Carphone warehouse too see if their models did it.

I suspect that the folks saying they aren't having the issue are either extremely lucky or aren't actually replicating the issue correctly. I've tested every 8x I've come in contact with and they all have some LCD ripple if you put a little pressure on the black bezel around the screen. It's not very noticeable unless you're on a black background. For awhile I went to every store testing out their display models hoping to find one that doesn't do this so that I could prove the need for a replacement and have yet to find one.

Edit: You don't see the ripple with normal touches. You have to actually apply a little pressure to the areas.